Archive for month: July, 2015

As we get older, it’s natural for many of us to experience problems with our back. All those years of poor posture, perhaps carrying too much weight or other health problems eventually catch up with us. But spinal problems are also the result of the normal ageing process.

The main cause is the dehydration and wearing of the discs between the vertebrae that comprise the spine. This in turn causes pain and muscular problems. Arthritis is also a major player here too.

So is this inevitable, and what can we do about it? Spinal problems are not inevitable at all and as always, the key is to keep active without overdoing it for as long as you’re able into your old age. Conversely, a sedentary lifestyle will accelerate the problems and many chiropractors now report treating relative youngsters who have premature spinal degeneration.

I always emphasise to my patients the importance of keeping mobile. If they have a desk job, do some stretching at regular intervals to loosen up the spine. Crucially, regular maintenance is important too. You wouldn’t drive a car with a lot of miles on the clock unless it was regularly maintained and had its MOT so regular chiropractic adjustments to keep your spine in tip-top condition should be a part of your routine.

Remember that most back problems are preventable – even if brought on by passing years – provided we do the right things.

Many of my patients come to see me because they suffer neck pain. It’s not surprising because in fact, around 70% of people will suffer neck pain at some time in their lives. Often, this is accompanied by severe headaches too. I’ve found that a course of adjustments, sometimes coupled with exercise, has beneficial effects, alleviating the pain and eventually removing the causes of it. There is some scientific evidence to support this, including a study in 2012 by the respected Annals of Internal Medicine. 272 patients with neck pain were given one of three treatments: medication, exercise, or chiropractic care. After 12 weeks of treatment, patients in the chiropractic and exercise groups experienced the most pain reduction. When compared to the medication group, both exercise and chiropractic had more than doubled the likelihood that participants experienced complete relief of their pain. For chiropractic patients, these benefits lasted for at least a year, demonstrating that chiropractic can provide long-term relief.

It helps if you can do a few things to avoid these problems:

Use an orthopaedic pillow and try to sleep on your back. If you sleep on your side then never use a high pillow that causes your neck to be in an unnatural position.

If you use a computer frequently, try to keep the screen at eye level.

You may never be able to prevent neck pain due to a number of factors: lifestyle, accidents and so on. But if you follow these guidelines you are minimising your chances of suffering from debilitating pain. Remember, if you do find yourself suffering with neck pain and/ or headaches associated with it give us a call and we should be able to help.